The importance of product photography in marketing your product cannot be overstated. When people cannot see or touch an object in person, it’s crucial that they have an accurate representation to either peak their initial interest, or spur a sale. Studies have shown that people remember about 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, but a whopping 80% of what they see. High quality product images are continuously linked to sales conversion. Here are some of the basics for top quality product photography.

Products are lit well. Product images generally look smoother when lighting is evenly spread and shadows are minimal. You can ensure this by using tools to diffuse the light such as flash diffusers, special soft boxes, etc. This can be challenging when shooting shiny objects, as the material generally reflects the light.

The photographs of the products are very clear. Especially in smaller items where the craftsmanship is something you want to emphasize, it’s important to make sure the images are highly detailed.

You may want to have your products shot from multiple angles, so potential customers can get as full a view of the product as possible. If it is a product that a customer will interact with, such as nail polish, it helps to have a picture of a model polishing her nails.

With great product photography, the customer will be enticed and drawn in by the visual, and any other details will become mere afterthoughts.

Different angles allow for different perspectives on the object being photographed. The use of straightforward shots is not too common in commercial photography. In order to gain a viewer’s attention, the photograph has to stand out. It needs to take an ordinary object and capture it in a way that makes it seem extraordinary. If someone wanted to see a straight shot of a coffee mug, they could just look at it. Using multiple angles allows the viewer to see the subject of the shoot in a whole new light.

There are several angles that can be applied to commercial photography. For instance, if you were shooting a roll of tape, you could zoom in close and snap the shot with the roll partially in frame. You could also tray shooting it from above to get a bird’s eye view or stand it up and take the picture from a slightly tilted, upward angle. This would skew the perspective and provide a nice shadow in the foreground. Either option is a refreshing departure from a straightforward shot. Changing the eye level of the product transforms its shape and makes it seem larger than life.

The great thing about multiple angles is that we live in a three-dimensional world, so the possibilities are almost endless. For the best results, experiment with the perspective that each angle provides. You may be surprised at what you will be able to capture.

CD disc are very durable but they always stand the chance of getting scuffs and scratches making them unplayable. Before you throw the CD disc out you may be able to try one of these techniques and bring your CD back to life.

Check for Scratches
If your CD is not playing correctly or skips songs there is a good chance your CD disc has a scratch on the bottom of the disc. You can visually inspect it by flipping it over and look for scratches that are perpendicular to the disc and are running from the center out.

Clean the bottom of the disc with water or rubbing alcohol
You always want to check the CD disc to make sure it is free of dust, dirt or other contaminants even if the disc is not scuffed or scratched. To clean the bottom of the disc run warm water over the bottom of the disc or you can use liquid soap or rubbing alcohol. When you are wiping the disc it is best to use a lint free cloth and wipe from the center of the disc to the outer edge.

Polish the disc with a light abrasive material
Polishing the bottom of the CD disc should be your last attempt to recovering the data from the disc. There are several household products available but using a baking soda toothpaste will give you the best results. The other product that works well is a fine grit car polishing wax. Apply the wax or toothpaste to a lint free cloth and polish the disc in a clockwise motion. It is best to focus on the scratched area instead of the entire disc.

Try using Vaseline or furniture wax
Apply a thin amount of Vaseline or furniture wax to the scratched area.

Use a 60 watt light bulb
Hold the bottom of the CD disc up to a 60 watt incandescent light bulb for 20 seconds. You want to hold the disc about 3-4 inches away from the bulb and rotate the disc. After about 20 seconds put it into the player and see if it plays.

All of these methods are a temporary solution to getting your CD disc to play. If you are able to get the CD to play it is best to make a new master copy of the disc. If you are unable to make a new CD master yourself you can look for a company that offers CD duplication.

The durability of a DVD disc is determined on how long the information on the DVD is readable. That is if there will be a compatible device that can read the information on the DVD and how long the disc will last until the data is no longer readable. There are five things to take into consideration when looking at the durability of the DVD disc, the quality of the manufacturer, quality of the organic dye, sealing method, a good reflective layer and how the disc was stored. In order to be able to read the DVD disc in years to come it is important to know how long the manufacturer is guaranteeing its longevity. Some DVD’s are only good for 10 years and some go out as far as 100 years.

There is also a difference in the type of disc you are storing. Many manufactures have a true archival disc that is protected by a gold layer that they state will last 100 years. The other issue a DVD disc can have is if the bottom layer of the disc gets scratched. They can withstand light scratches, but if a deep scratch goes across the bottom of your disc where the data is written, there is a good chance it is now ruined or unreadable. I always recommend too make a backup of any DVD that is important and store it in a safe place. If there is ever a problem with your playable copy you can have your backup DVD master duplicated again. There are many companies that offer DVD duplication and you should be able to find one in your area by searching on the Internet.

I would say almost everyone has box full of video tapes that contain precious family memories. Video tape is known as an analog format and over time will slowly degrade and loose their picture quality and color. For several years now the service has been offered to transfer your old video tapes to DVD. When creating the DVD you have the option of having motion menus so you can access key scenes throughout the video and have an interactive menu. In order to capture your analog tapes, the company will play your tapes through the required format deck and digitize them into the computer.

This transfer process is done in real time. Once digitized, there are a few options, you can have the company edited your videos then make your DVD master or just have them output straight to DVD. When the DVD master is being created you do have the choice of making a menu that can list different areas of the video. This is a great way to skip through different parts of the DVD without having to watch the entire video. When your DVD master is complete I would recommend having a back up DVD made for safety purposes. DVD is a great way to preserve your memories, but if anything were to happen to your master DVD and you did not have a copy, you would need to start all over again. You could use a company that specializes in video to dvd transfers too.

The DVD dual layer disc will allow you to store up to 8.5 gigabytes per DVD. The disc contains two layers of data, the first layer is semi transparent so that it allows the laser to get through to the second layer. There are two formats of DVD dual layer disc, the DVD-R DL that was developed by the Pioneer Corporation and the DVD+R DL that was developed by Mitsubishi and Philips. The creation of the dual layer DVD now allows you to store up to twice the amount of data. This comes in very useful when you have a movie or film that goes past 4.7 gigabytes on a standard DVD. The dual layer DVD has become so popular that almost all newer DVD players will recognize the format.

In some of the DVD players on the market when switching from one layer to the next there is a noticeable pause between DVD layers and this had some viewers concerned that the disc was defective or the disc was damaged. Many film studios started to add a message on the packaging that this delay would occur and there was nothing wrong with the disc. The dual layer DVD has become very popular with small and large video production studios allowing them to be able to duplicate in small to large quantities without having to go to a DVD 9 and have it replicated. Finding a company that offers dual layer DVD duplication should be easy to find since most duplication facilities can accommodate this format. The cost of dual layer DVD duplication will be a little more expensive since the disc cost more and it takes longer to burn.

When doing your video production it should be planned and created with who the end user will be. Here are a few questions you should answer.

Will my content of the video appeal to the audience

Will they learn any information from this video

What expectations do you want to have them take away after watching your video

What do you wan them to see

What is your competition

Do your home work on the subject to make sure you have a unique idea

Since you are the video producer you are in total control of what your viewer will come away with. The video producer is the creator and you have a story to tell in a way that should capture your audience. Your video should tell a story in a way that keeps your audience intrigued. Some videos are going to be less interesting in topic but this can be overcome by the way you choose to produce it and using basic story telling techniques. This will make the difference if people are going to watch your program or walk away from it.

When producing your video keep in mind that good characters, action and a quality plot will always make for a better produced video. The other element to keep in mind is emotions. It has been proven that the most memorable videos are ones that capture the viewers emotions. Music is also a great way to enhance your video. It does not matter what subject you are trying to get across, there needs to be emotions edited into your video. This is best done by creating a story about people and there experiences which will capture your audience until the end. A professional video production company can also help you through these steps. You can find a production company by searching for video production + your location, Video Production San Diego for example.